Kansai Nerolac Paints has been at the forefront of paint manufacturing for over nine decades and has pioneered wide spectrum of quality paints. It is the second largest paint company in India and since February 2013it commenced its operation in Nepal as Kansai Paints Nepal Pvt Ltd (KNPL) by acquiring by 68% stake in Nepal Shalimar Paints. Satya Prakash, Country Head of Nerolac Paints in Nepal recently spoke to New Business Age’s Angila Sharma about the company’s plans and its CSR activities. Excerpts:

 

How has the journey of Nerolac Paints been in Nepal?

Kansai Nerolac Paints is among the top paint companies in the world.We started our operation in Nepal last year. It has been a very exciting journey because we have been getting very good response. As an organization, we are trying to bring world-class technology in paint for Nepali consumers. The paints we are manufacturing are of the international standard. All our paints are zero VOC products especially in terms of emulsions. Our allied partners like engineers and architects prefer our products because of the quality that we deliver. The good quality of our product, has earned us a good reputation in the market. As we are getting very good response from the consumers, I must say the journey of Kansai Nerolac paints in Nepal has been a fantastic one.

 

What CSR activities has Nerolac Paints been conducting?

Production of eco-friendly paints is primarily the biggest corporate social responsibility that Kansai has been fulfilling. We, as an organization have ensured that all our products are eco-friendly. Each of our containers says that we are manufacturing healthy home paints. So, our paint is not harmful to the consumer as well as the applicator.

 

Apart from that, we have conducted many activities as part of our CSR. Very recently, we painted the entire Pashupatinath area by donating paint materials to the temple authorities. Along with that, we have also conducted various activities that focused on improving the skills of applicators so that they can apply paint in a better way while keeping their safety requirement in mind.

 

Likewise, we have also organized Hetauda Idol programme and Birgunj Idol programme. The programmes were a big success. We are also trying to coordinate with the traffic department to assist them in creating awareness.

 

Why is it important for corporate houses to be involved in CSR activities?

There are a couple of reasons for this. As an organization, we are not here to make profit only. It is the responsibility of any organization to contribute to the society where they are conducting business. It helps in bringing the organization closer to the society.CSR is basically a profit sharing activity of the organization. We make profit and contribute a share of it to the society.

 

Any organization should not think of the advantage while being involved in CSR. It is the responsibility of any organization towards the society and towards its people. Kansai Nerolac is always ready to contribute to the society and we look for opportunities where we can contribute to the society.

 

There is a wide spread rumour that corporate houses evade taxes and use the same money in CSR activities. What do you have to say to this?

I totally disagree with this opinion. There might be some corporate companies who do this, but, we as an organization follow all the laws of the state. Our work is very transparent. We pay tax as per the applicable norm of the country.

 

Nepal is now in the process of rapid urbanization. What are the advantages for paint companies?

Nepal is a developing country. The infrastructure requirement interms of construction is huge. I am sure that in the next 30-40 years the t industry is going to grow with double-digit growth rate. So, all the industries associated with the construction industry like cement, steel, paint will certainly benefit from it. The question is: what kind of company or material should take a momentum in this growth? So, I can say that as Kansai Nerolac Paints is ensuring quality product to the consumers, e are very hopeful to get a fair share in this urbanization process.

 

How has the response from the consumers been?

It is excellent. The consumers who have used our product are highly appreciating our product. They can easily see the immediate difference in the quality and performance of the Kansai Nerolac Paints. People are happy using our product. We offer the best range in interior and exterior paints. In exterior category, we have XL Total, which is paint with better coverage and longer lifespan. It comes with 7 years of warranty. The building itself reflects the use of Nerolac paints because of outstanding colour glow, colour retention and smoothness of the paint. 

 

What is the market share of Nerolac Paints in Nepal?

Presently our market share is between 10 to 15 per cent. But, the way we are gaining momentum, we are sure that the market share is going to increase in near future.

 

Is there anything you would like to say at the end?

Through this magazine, I would like to tell your readers that we should be using eco-friendly products. Use of such products ensures the protection of environment, health of the applicator and the consumers. It is a very big responsibility that we share with the consumers and we would like our consumers to be conscious of.